Former Vice President of Government Affairs, Margaret Bonds Podlich has been named President of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). Her new role with the Association, which is celebrating its 45th year, broadens her responsibilities to include external communications encompassing Government Affairs and Public Relations as well as other association programs, benefits and services. This includes developing the association's official policy positions and leading the advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation's recreational boat owners. Podlich's promotion comes after the half-million member boat owners group recently lost its former President, Nancy Michelman, to a courageous battle with cancer.

Podlich began at BoatUS in 1994 as the Director of the former BoatUS Clean Water Trust, now part of the member-funded 501(c)3 non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. She was promoted in 2005 to the position of Vice President Government Affairs, where she led the association's advocacy efforts on issues such as the Clean Boating Act, increased ethanol in fuel, the possible loss of GPS as a critical safety tool, as well as state issues such as the loss of boating access and Florida anchoring issues.

Podlich is a life-long boater, raised in a sailing family. After racing in college while attending Tulane University, she competed in a wide range of national and international events including finishing fourth in this year's Rolex Women's International Keelboat Regatta. In 2006, she was also a member of the three-woman Yngling Team Cronin sailing crew that competed for a place on the US Olympic Sailing Team for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. Earlier this year, she was also a member of the winning Volvo Penta team at the annual Alice Kelley Ladies Billfish Tournament.

"Margaret's passion for boating and 'messing around in boats' shows in her results and commitment to BoatUS, our members, and the nation's boat owners," said BoatUS CEO Bill Oakerson. "She's a brilliant and effective public policy analyst who achieves results, making the boating lifestyle better for all of us by fighting unfair and onerous regulation, and giving boaters a voice in government. We look forward to this energy being tapped for a wide array of programs within BoatUS."

Podlich resides in the Annapolis, Maryland area with her husband, Steve, and two children, Ben (11) and Sophie (15) – all of whom embrace the boating lifestyle with the family's "fleet" of small sailboats, a Zodiac powerboat and several paddlecraft.

Photo Credit: Bob Osterhold